Avaya Earthquakes Stadium | City of San José
Environmental Impact Report

When Major League Soccer (MLS) was established in the mid 1990s, the Earthquakes took part in the first ever MLS game at Spartan Stadium and emerged victorious against D.C. United before a crowd of over 31,000 fans. To this day, the San José Earthquakes remain a force in MLS and an integral aspect of the City’s history. In 2009, the Earthquakes unveiled plans to construct their own stadium and construction commenced in 2012. The stadium celebrated its opening in March 2015.

The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the stadium, prepared by Kristy Weis in 2010, analyzed the impacts of constructing an 18,000-seat stadium on a 14.5-acre site across from the Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport. In addition, the EIR analyzed the development of up to three million square feet of office and research and development uses, and hotel, retail, and commercial uses on the adjacent 52.3-acre property. The EIR evaluated a wide range of issues, including: impacts to burrowing owls, traffic congestion on surrounding roadways, hazards to airport operations, soil/groundwater remediation, and mitigation of hazardous materials. Accordingly, DJP&A coordinated with numerous regulatory agencies such as the California Department of Transportation, the California Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Toxic Substances and Control, to minimize and mitigate environmental impacts.

In 2014, DJP&A staff John Hesler, and Kristy Weis, completed a subsequent analysis that evaluated the addition of stadium signage, including a LED video board on the outside of the stadium and flat rooftop signs. Aircraft pilot and driver safety was the primary concern with this supplemental project due to the orientation and proximity of the proposed signs to the airport and nearby roads.

 

Images courtesy of: San Jose Earthquakes